Current industrial processes are monitored and controlled by computers. These computers monitor process conditions through sensors that relay hundreds to thousands of process measurements to computers. Each measurement is associated with one or more established alarm limits. A common problem in many industrial processes is that many alarms from different measurements may occur close to one another in time. A high frequency of alarms can overcome an operator, causing the operator to lose their effectiveness at controlling the process. A need exists for an alarm system that allows a process operator time to manage process upsets.
In addition, prior art alerts for abnormal processes conditions use a single alert for all abnormal situations. This requires time for the operator to detect and diagnose the abnormal situation. A further need exists for a system that effectively alerts the operator to true abnormal situations in a process within an appropriate time to manage the abnormal situation.
The present embodiments of the alarm management system disclosed below meet these needs.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.